The relationship between your
hips and shoulders is one of the
most important in the golf swing
when it comes to creating coil.
The key is to create a resistance
with the knees and lower body
while at the same time turning
the hips to facilitate the correct
rotation of the torso

A GOOD HIP ACTION FACILITATES A DYNAMIC BACKSWING COIL

We talk a lot about the importance of creating and holding
‘resistance’ in the lower body, to turn against a flexed right knee
and thigh and so create this coiling effect in the backswing as
the bigger muscles in the torso stretch over the hips and the
legs. All well and good – but you do have to be careful. I see a
lot of talented amateur players who take this to the nth degree,
and who display so much resistance in the hips and legs that
they actually stifle the natural turning motion that must exist in
a dynamic golf swing. If I were to put a ration on it I’d say that
anyone who is restricting their hip rotation to 30 degrees or less
is in danger of sabotaging the quality of their full swing – you
need a little more rotation to make the most of your coil.

The secret to a good leg action is that you feel the resistance
more in the knees and thighs that you do the hips. The exercise
you see here is one that will help you to appreciate this as you
rehearse the dynamic of a backswing. In good posture, flex your
knees to sharpen up your body angles, and then press a shaft
tight into your pelvis to accentuate the feeling in that area as
you make your backswing. You want a real sense of interacting
with the ground through your feet as your rotate into the right
hip, allowing your upper torso to rotate and stretch as it completes
the turning motion. My suggestion is that in a full swing –
and here I’m using a 6-iron - your hips turn through at least 40
degrees, which will free up your torso to get behind the ball.

RECOIL GENERATES THE SPEED FOR IMPACT...

...AND BODY ACTION CONTROLS THE SHOW ALL THE WAY TO A BALANCED FINISH

When we work on the sequence
of moves in a flowing swing we
look for a chain reaction, and
nowhere is this more important
than from the top of the backswing
as you negotiate the
transition and shift through the
gears in the build up to releasing
the club through impact.
This is where that hip action
is your ally, as turning your hips
correctly in posture on the way
back enables you to then utilise
them effectively on the way
back down as you unwind.

Study the sequence here and
you will notice that the transition
works progressively from
the ground up – exactly as it
should. From a compact backswing
position, a subtle move in
the left heel and left knee signals
the change in direction; as
my weight shifts towards the
target, the hips enjoy the freedom
to re-rotate, which in turn
invites the arms and the hands
to fall into a wonderfully natural
hitting position – the ‘slot’
tour players are looking for
(note that the wrists remain
fully hinged and ‘loaded’ relatively
deep into the downswing).

A key point that I would
make here is that as the lower
body unwinds from the top of
the backswing the chest holds
for a split second, allowing the
arms to shallow and then gather
speed as they are accelerated
through impact. Speed in
the swing is generated by the
rotation of the ‘core’, and this
subtle sequence at the start of
the downswing enables the
arms and the body to match up
through the ball.

The importance of establishing
good body angles at the setup
is very much in evidence as
a player builds his or her swing
around the heartbeat of this
rotation, or pivot motion. The
spine angle that is created at
address is seen to be pretty
well maintained all the way up
to the moment of impact, and
then softens as the body
rotates on to a finish.

ENJOY THE SENSATION OF BEING ‘GROUNDED’ AND UNWIND BODY IN SYNC

The temptation to drive the legs into the downswing
is one that causes a lot of golfers a serious
problem – and so let me share a couple of ways
in which you can work on stabilising your leg
action and so enjoy a more synchronised body
move through the ball.

First up, try hitting a few shots with what I
call the ‘flat-footed’ drill, as you see in this
sequence above. Just as it says on the tin, the
key here is that you keep both of your feet flat
on the ground throughout the entire swing, and
the toes open. This will help you to appreciate
the ‘quietness’ of a sound lower body action as
you wind and unwind your top half.

Anyone with a tendency to jump too quickly
off that right foot at the start of the downswing
will find this a bit of a challenge initially, but as
you persevere you will find that keeping that
right foot, particularly, on the ground gives you
a terrific feeling of width and freedom as you
unwind. No longer will you feel ‘trapped’ and
narrow approaching the ball – you will have all
the room you need to unwind in sync and
release the clubhead freely.

BACK TO BASICS: NO BETTER EXERCISE TO ESTABLISH THE BACK-BEAT OF A GOOD BODY ACTION

In my coaching I advocate using a combination of the exercises
you see demonstrated over these pages to improve both the
quality of the leg action and the general rotation of the body
that is so vital in terms of generating speed and also pacing the
tempo of a solid golf swing. Remember, the hips must be
encouraged to turn away from the target in the backswing in
order that you turn your upper body correctly and get properly
coiled behind the ball; in the downswing, the re-rotation of
the hips and stomach is the chief source of speed

TURN BACK, TURN THROUGH
THE ESSENCE OF A NATURAL,
REPEATING SWING

As a final fun exercise, hit a few shots as I am doing here in
between working on your regular swing. Drawing your right
foot back like this paves the way for the arms and upper
body to work nicely together in the backswing, and you then
enjoy a lovely feeling of swinging from the inside as you
unwind and clip the ball away, re-rotating your body against
the flex in the left knee. Again, a useful drill with which to
develop better rotary motion of your hips and ‘core’

Reproduced with kind permission of Golf International Magazine

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